National Archives Public Programs in August
Press Release · Monday, August 1, 2022

Washington, DC

The National Archives continues its hybrid public programs model, offering events at National Archives Museum in Washington, DC, at Presidential Libraries nationwide, and virtually on the National Archives YouTube Channel. Full Calendar of Events online. 

In-person attendees to events in the National Archives Museum’s William G. McGowan Theater should use the Special Events entrance on Constitution Avenue at Seventh Street, NW. Metro accessible on the Yellow and Green lines, Archives/Navy Memorial/Penn Quarter station. Reservations are recommended and can be made online. 

(In person and virtual) The Queen and the U.S.A. Platinum Jubilee Edition
Wednesday, August 3, at 1 p.m. ET, McGowan Theater and virtual; register online; watch on YouTube 
Although the United States was born out of revolution against Great Britain, Americans have warmly greeted the reigning British monarch on her visits to this country. The Queen and the USA celebrates Queen Elizabeth II’s diamond jubilee. Moderated by Daphne Maxwell Reid, authors H. Edward Mann, Ellen M. LeCompt, and Jacques J. Moore, Jr., will discuss ties between the two nations. A book signing will follow the program.

(Virtual only) Picnicking with the Roosevelts: Baskets, Blankets, and Diplomacy, Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum, Hyde Park, NY
Wednesday, August 3, at 2 p.m. ET; streamed live on the FDR Library’s YouTube, Facebook & Twitter accounts
The Roosevelt Library will host an encore virtual presentation of "Picnicking with the Roosevelts: Baskets, Blankets, and Diplomacy" with Library Education Specialist Jeff Urbin. Learn how the Roosevelts found comfort and relief from the suffering and uncertainty of the Great Depression and World War II through the simple act of picnicking with family, friends, and royalty. 

(In person only) America's Famine Relief Mission to Soviet Russia: A Centennial Symposium, Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum, West Branch, IA
Saturday, August 6, 2–5 p.m. CT
A free symposium discussing America's famine relief effort to Soviet Russia. Scholars will present papers with discussion to follow on topics including: "Herbert Hoover and Famine Relief to Soviet Russia" (George H. Nash); "Food as a Weapon? American Relief to Europe and the Rising Tide of Bolshevism” (Charlie Laderman); '"Hoover Must Be Punished': The Politics and Legacy of America's Errand of Mercy" (Bertrand M. Patenaude); and "The Gift of Corn: American Humanitarian Aid to Russia in the Famine" (Olga Ovcharskaia). 

(In person only) Family Fish 2022: George H. W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum, College Station, TX
Saturday, August 6, 8–11 a.m. CT
The Bush Library and Museum, in partnership with the College Station Police Department, brings you Family Fish 2022! Enjoy FREE fishing and fun at the (fully stocked) pond on the grounds of the Bush Library and Museum! Additional activities will include games, education stations, emergency vehicle displays, refreshments, and more. Participants are encouraged to bring their own fishing gear. Fishing licenses are not required.

(In person only) Swinging and Swearing In!, Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum in Grand Rapids, MI
Tuesday, August 9, at 7 p.m. CT
Celebrate the 48th anniversary of the swearing-in of our 38th President with swing music and dancing on the Museum's plaza! Music provided by The John Shea Trio with special guest Max Colley III (trumpet). Free and open to the public; no reservations required. Event will be moved inside in case of inclement weather. 

(In person and virtual) Evenings at Ease featuring Dr. Will Hitchcock, Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum, Abilene, KS
Tuesday, August 9, 7 –8 p.m. CT
William I. Hitchcock is the William W. Corcoran Professor of History at the University of Virginia and faculty director of Governing American in a Global Era, with a focus on global 20th-century history. He is the author of The Age of Eisenhower and The Bitter Road to Freedom: The Human Cost of Allied Victory in World War II Europe. Dr. Hitchcock will join the program remotely. Check back for virtual connection details.

(Virtual only) Closing the Golden Door: Asian Migration and Hidden History of Exclusion at Ellis Island
Wednesday, August 10, at 1 p.m. ET. Register online; watch live or later on YouTube
Ellis Island is typically seen as a gateway for Europeans seeking to join the “great American melting pot.” But author Anna Pegler-Gordon reveals that it was also a major site of immigrant detention and exclusion, especially for Chinese, Japanese, and other Asian travelers and maritime laborers. Joining the author in conversation will be Andrea Louie, Professor of Anthropology and Asian Pacific American Studies at Michigan State University. Immigration programming is made possible in part by the National Archives Foundation through the generous support of Denise Gwyn Ferguson.

(In person only) Sunday Concert Series, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, Yorba Linda, CA
Sundays, August 14, 21, and 28 at 2 p.m. PT
Concerts are generally held Sundays and are free and open to the public. Doors open at 1:30 p.m., and the music begins at 2 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Schedule is subject to change.

• August 14: Liszt Competition Winners Concert
• August 21: Sigma Alpha Iota—Scholarship Winners concert
• August 28: Andrew Harrison—Saxophones and Jason Lol—Pianist

(Virtual only)  Young Learners Program: Meet Amelia Earhart
Thursday, August 18, at 11 a.m. ET. Watch live or later on YouTube. 
In this National Archives Comes Alive! Young Learners program, Pat Jordan of the American Historical Theatre will portray aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart, the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. Earhart may be best known for her numerous aviation records, but it is her legacy of unfaltering determination and advocacy for equal treatment of women that lives on. Earhart supported women’s rights and championed roles for women as pilots in the aviation industry.

(In Person and Virtual) Unlocking the Secrets to the Sistine Chapel, Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum in Grand Rapids, MI
Thursday, August 18, at 7 p.m. CDT
Art historian Elizabeth Lev will guide participants through and share the exciting historical context of the paintings via Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel, an exhibit by SEE Global Entertainment. To attend in person, RSVP. To stream, RSVP here.

(In person and virtual) Formidable: American Women and the Fight for Equality
Wednesday, August 24, at 1 p.m. ET, McGowan Theater and Virtual; register online; watch on Youtube
In Formidable, author Elisabeth Griffith chronicles and integrates the fight by White and Black women to achieve equality and their efforts to advance with sometimes competing causes. Formidable offers a sweeping, century-long perspective and an expansive cast of change agents. Joining the author in conversation will be author Rebecca Boggs Roberts. A book signing will follow the program.

(In person only) Fate, Fortune, and Providence in the Life of a Leader with Timothy Rives, Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum, Abilene, KS
Thursday, August 25, noon to 1 p.m. CT
Tim Rives, deputy director for archival operations at the National Archives in Kansas City, MO, and former deputy director and supervisory archivist of the Eisenhower Presidential Library, will look at the alleged role of luck or providence in Eisenhower's career, with a special emphasis on the fate of Ike and the other men who took the service academy examination with him in 1910. 

COMING SOON! All American: The Power of Sports
Lawrence F. O’Brien Gallery, September 16, 2022, through January 7, 2024
All American will investigate the way sports have been used to unite Americans, promote American culture, and open doors to diplomacy. All American will celebrate individual athletes, both legendary and little known, who changed American society and furthered the cause of social justice. All American: The Power of Sports is made possible in part by the National Archives Foundation through the generous support of AT&T, AARP, and Mars, Incorporated. Additional support provided by HISTORY® and the Lawrence F. O’Brien Family. Opening Month support provided by Anheuser-Busch.